This page uses Javascript. Your browser either doesn't support Javascript or you have it turned off. To see this page as it is meant to appear please use a Javascript enabled browser.

New Orleans East Land Bridge

Project Description

The East Orleans Land Bridge separates Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne in southeast
Louisiana. Two primary tidal channels connecting the two lakes are located on the
land bridge. The area forms an important geomorphic boundary and has been identified
as a critical feature in terms of wetlands and storm protection. Efforts focusing
on restoring coastal marshes and preventing erosion in the area have become more
involved in recent years.

In addition, the importance of the land bridge as a storm surge barrier and moderator
in protecting New Orleans is well recognized. Future efforts to maintain natural
storm buffers and to construct additional storm protection projects are centered
on the land bridge as a key component in many developing plans. In addition, prior
to Hurricane Katrina the area was home to a number of year-round and weekend residents
that used the area for marine-based commerce and recreation. Recovery planning in
the area is a topic of great importance to residents, property owners, natural resource
managers and coastal managers and planners. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is
assisting in many of these planning efforts through the Louisiana Coastal Protection
and Restoration study. As part of this effort, the USACE and partner agencies are
establishing a data set of all relevant information about the East Orleans Land
Bridge. These data sets include infrastructure, geotechnical reports, biological
and ecological research, community data, and other pertinent reports or data sets.
The intent of the data compilation is to provide a common set of resources for citizens,
planners and managers to use in formulating future projects in a number of different
fields ranging from coastal restoration, hurricane and storm protection, zoning,
and community recovery. The collected information will be catalogued in a web-based
library and geo-referenced components of the information will be made available
in a Geographic Information System.